An electric bus crashed into 14 vehicles and injured 18 people, and the Thai Smile Bus has apologized for the incident, saying the driver has been fired, according to a statement released late Tuesday afternoon.
“Thai Smile Bus Company Limited apologizes for the incident. The company will be responsible for all damages, and take full care of every injured person.”
The company said it sent an inspection team to investigate the Number 558 passenger bus and found that there were no issues with the electrical or braking systems.
Thai Smile also interrogated the driver, 59-year-old Boonmee Janthaphan, in which admitted he fell asleep at the wheel and was startled when traffic started moving. Instead of stepping on the brake, he stepped on the accelerator, causing him to lose control of the vehicle.
“The driver himself admitted that he had little rest and was momentarily distracted,” the statement read. “When the cars moved, he felt startled, and when he intended to step on the brake, he stepped on the accelerator instead.”
The driver has since been fired.
The large traffic accident occurred at Rama 2 Road’s Bang Pra Kaew intersection in Chom Thong district Tuesday morning when a bus collided into multiple vehicles including four motorcycles, three pickup trucks, three passenger cars, one songthaew, one taxi, and two public buses.
Officers from the nearby Bang Mod police station rushed to the scene to help clear the wreckage.
There were no fatalities, but eighteen people were reported as injured. One was sent to Nakornthon Hospital, three to Bangkok Hospital 1, six to Suk Sawasdee International Hospital, six to Bangkok 9 International Hospital, one to Ratburana Hospital, and one to Nakhonthon Hospital.
วันที่ 26 ก.ย. 66 เวลา 08.11 น. รถยนต์ชนกันจำนวนหลายคัน บริเวณก่อนถึงแยกพระราม 2 ช่วงปากซอยพระราม 2 ซอย 4 แขวงบางมด เขตจอมทอง กรุงเทพมหานครฯ
— FM91 Trafficpro (@fm91trafficpro) September 26, 2023
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